Educational and Research Initiative Fund (ERIF)

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Only tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible. Proposals must be multi-investigator and multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary. The maximum funding is $25,000. Applicants are encouraged to use the following format for their proposal submissions. Each grant will be funded for a maximum of one year. An original and four copies of the proposal must be submitted to the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (Main Building, Room 301). Include the standard IIT Request for Review and Approval of Proposal routing form, completed and signed by you and your academic unit head.

Recipients are required to submit a progress report at the end of the first half of the project period and a final technical report that will be published in Research News. The funds awarded will be released in two installments, at the beginning of the project period and after the review of the mid-term progress report. This year the budget will be limited to tuition and stipend expenses for students, except for a small amount of funding (up to 5%) that may be allocated for supplies, if necessary.

PROPOSAL FORMAT

Typeface, Size and Page Formatting:

Each proposal is limited to eight pages including figures, tables, budget and appendices (excluding current and pending support and curriculum vitae). Proposals should be submitted in either Times New Roman or Arial typeface and the font size should be no smaller than size 12. Proposals must have margins of at least 1 inch on each side. Proposals not meeting these formatting requirements will not be reviewed.

Objectives:

List the broad, long-term objectives and what the specific research or education initiative proposed is intended to accomplish.

Background and Significance:

Briefly sketch the background leading to the proposed work, critically evaluate existing knowledge, and specifically identify the gaps that the project is intended to fill. State concisely the importance and relevance of the proposed work by relating the specific aims to the broad, long-term objectives.

Preliminary Studies / Progress Report:

(if any)

Research Design and Methods:

Describe the research design and the procedures to be used to accomplish the specific aims of the project. Include how the data will be collected, analyzed, and interpreted. Describe any new methodology and its advantage over existing methodologies. Discuss the potential difficulties and limitations of the proposed procedures and alternative approaches to achieve the aims. As part of this section, provide a tentative timetable for the project. Point out any procedures, situations, or materials that may be hazardous to personnel and the precautions to be exercised.

Resources, Facilities and Collaborations

Identify the office and/or laboratory space and specify the facilities to be used for the conduct of the proposed research. Describe capabilities, support services, and important equipment items. List individuals involved in the development or execution of the project and their qualifications.

Plans for seeking external funding:

Describe the proposals that will be developed after the conclusions of the ERIF project, list the funding agencies and/or industries targeted, provide an estimate of the expected funding level and the potential for funding. State how the resources requested from ERIF will enable the development of these external proposals.

Budget and Budget Justification:

Include a budget that does not exceed $25,000. Budget justification and explanation on how the expenditure of ERIF funds would lead to results for developing strong proposals for external funding agencies must be provided. This year the budget will be limited to tuition and stipend expenses for students, except for a small amount of funding (up to 5%) that may be allocated for supplies, if necessary.

Other Support:

Include a list of current and pending support for all investigators.

Appendix:

Include a 2-page curriculum vitae.

REVIEW CRITERIA:

Below are the review criteria used for the evaluation of the proposals in general. Other factors affecting funding under this program include past ERIF support provided to the applicant(s) and the outcome of that project, the current external funding level of the applicant(s), and the amount of funds available for this RFP.

Significance:

Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field?

Approach:

Are the conceptual framework, design, methods and analyses adequately developed, well integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics?

Innovation:

Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies?

Investigator:

Are the investigators appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the proposed work appropriate to the experience level of the applicants?

Environment:

Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed activities take advantage of unique features of this environment?